


Advice

by witchkisser



Category: Tennis no Oujisama | Prince of Tennis
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-18
Updated: 2016-07-18
Packaged: 2018-07-24 18:38:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,829
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7519009
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/witchkisser/pseuds/witchkisser
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An has some advice for Sakuno. Most of it is about tennis.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Advice

**Author's Note:**

> A short Sakuno/An fic, because there's never enough.
> 
> Set somewhere in the first 30 episodes or so of the anime.
> 
> I very much appreciate any feedback and suggestions.

Step into position. Take the stance. Swing. In theory, it was so simple, but every time Sakuno tried, the proper form seemed to escape her. Instead of sending the ball rebounding off the wall and back to where she stood, it bounced off at odd angles, with inconsistent spin.

Wall practice was supposed to be easy, right?

She sighed, and sank to her knees as the ball bounced past her again. It was times like this when she wondered what was even the point of tennis. Wasn't it Ryouma? Certainly, seeing the boy's unprecedented play had inspired her, but since then? He'd gone on to win match after match, while she floundered around trying to learn the basics.

Sakuno shook her head, and stood up. She could do better than this. She would do better than this, and then, someday, next time...

She tossed the ball into the air and slammed it at the wall, her memories drifting back to their "date". She'd wanted to call it that, but she knew she was fooling herself. He'd showed her the restringing shop and practiced a bit with her, that was all. If you could call it practice, mostly he'd just made rude comments. "That was the form that was commended?" Even now, his mockery rang fresh in her memory.

The ball flew back off the wall, directly at her head. She ducked, dropping her racket and covering her head with her hands. But instead of feeling the ball against her head, she heard the distinctive thwack of a racquet.

"You've got a stronger arm than I thought, Sakuno Ryuzaki!" A high and sharp voice rang out, one that Sakuno recognized but still couldn't quite place.

She stood up, facing the person who'd stepped in. "I'm sorry!" She looked down, embarrassed, "I'm still new at this."

An Tachibana (for it was she) laughed. "We've met before, Sakuno! At the district tournament, don't you remember?"

Sakuno finally placed her. "An, right? You're Fudomine's Kippei's younger sister?"

"I'm more than just my brother's sister, but I'm not here to boast about my own accomplishments." She picked up a ball and tossed it gently at Sakuno, who fumbled to catch it. "I figured you could use some help? If you'd like."

"Ah!" Sakuno managed to grab the ball. "Thank you!"

An stood her racquet on the ground, holding it by the handle with the tips of her fingers. "Your form is good, but you're not putting your strength behind it, so it folds. Like this racquet, without the support of my arm," she let go, "it falls." She bent over to pick up her racquet. "You're strong, Sakuno."

Sakuno shook her head. "I don't think so."

"Trust me on this! I've been around strong tennis players all my life! My brother is strong, Ryouma is strong, your grandmother is strong, and so are you. Here, I'll prove it." An gently hit the ball against the wall and back towards Sakuno. "Here, try to hit it."

Sakuno swung, and somehow managed to make contact. The ball bounced back along its trajectory, heading off the wall to where An was standing.

"Good! Good! Next time, try to hit it so it comes back at you." An returned the ball easily.

Sakuno somehow managed to keep up a volley, but each hit seemed to stray futher, and the ball was always on the edge of slipping out of her control.

After a few more hits, An stepped in front and caught the ball in her hand. "Show me a few swings, just at the air? I want to see it better."

"Yeah. Like this?" Sakuno tried swinging a few times, but without a ball to aim for, she felt a bit silly. An watched, her hand covering her mouth as she thought.

"Here, let me show you." An walked behind Sakuno and stepped up directly behind her, mirroring her pose. Sakuno blushed. It wasn't often she had someone so close. An put her hands over Sakuno's and gently walked through the motion of the swing. "Like this, do you feel how it goes?"

"Ah! Yes! I think so!" Sakuno pulled away quickly, her heart racing. What was this about? What sort of reaction?

An chuckled and reached up to adjust one of her signature hairclips. "Good, now try it without me, and put some strength behind it. The ball won't go where you want if you don't put any power into it." She tossed another ball towards Sakuno.

Sakuno tried to remember what it had felt like. It was almost like what she had been doing, but used the weight of her body a little more. It was almost like she had been fighting herself, and now all of her motions worked to redirect her own weight into the ball. The sound of the racquet striking a tennis ball rang out. The ball rocketed off her racquet and hit the wall, bouncing back with speed.

A few minutes ago Sakuno might have dropped her racquet and panicked, but now she was in the zone. She swung again, sending the ball back at the wall. It was a different feeling this time, since the ball still had her own power behind it. It felt good.

An watched as Sakuno volleyed with the wall. It was going much better than before. Maybe all Sakuno had needed was confidence? "Next time, let's practice together, ok?" An's tone was cheery as Sakuno held up her racquet to let the ball bounce easily to a halt.

"That'd be nice, I think!"

It became a regular thing for a while. Whenever they had time, and the tournament schedule allowed, Sakuno and An would meet at the public courts to practice. They worked their way up from drills and practice volleys to even playing a practice match every now and then. Sakuno found herself growing more comfortable with playing a powerful style, and enjoyed getting to know An better.

An, for her part, was a never-ending fount of tennis knowledge. She spouted tennis gossip almost as frequently, but Sakuno didn't mind. She found herself somehow getting acquainted by proxy with the dramas and concerns of the Fudomine players, on the men's and women's squads.

Eventually, Sakuno started to feel like she should do something to thank An, for what she'd done.

"Hey, An, after today's practice would you like to stay and eat lunch with me?" She blushed. Even though they were friends, Sakuno was never comfortable with asking things of people.

An rested her racquet on under her arm and brushed off her hands. "I'd love to! I want to see what your cooking's like, Sakuno."

They cleaned up their tennis balls and put away their racquets before heading up the hill overlooking the courts. "This is a nice little spot, I think." An said, leading Sakuno to a spot under a tree on the hill. "We have a great view of the courts, but nobody watches up here so you don't have to worry about interruptions." Her usually cheery voice turned a bit darker as she mentioned interruptions.

"Ah, you have to worry about that a lot, I suppose." Sakuno's tone was consoling. "It seems like every other day there's some boy who bothers you because of tennis."

An laughed. "They're nothing. I much prefer your company, anyway."

Sakuno smiled, and the two sat down. She unwrapped the lunch she'd packed.

"Oh my goodness, Sakuno, this looks amazing!" An's eyes lit up as she inspected the food. "I feel unworthy!"

Sakuno laughed. "I wanted to thank you for all the help you've given me. Please, dig in."

An reached in to pick up a piece, and offered it to Sakuno. "Please, don't let me eat alone, I'll feel self-conscious."

Sakuno noticed that An was blushing. It was a surprise, usually An seemed so, composed? Sakuno wasn't sure if that was the right word. Was this a chance to see a side of An that she wasn't used to? Sakuno hid a giggle. "All right then." She picked up her own share and handed some to An.

"Delicious!"

"I'm glad you enjoy it."

They ate in silence for a few minutes, listening to the sounds of tennis being played below.

Sakuno sighed. "Hey An, can I ask you a question?"

An nodded. "Sure."

"You always have a lot of boys interested in you because of your tennis skills, I figure you're an expert on this, so I wanted to ask-"

An interrupted. "Dump him."

"Ah! You didn't even let me finish" Sakuno looked down, disappointed.

An laughed. "It's Ryouma, isn't it? You're still after him?"

Sakuno nodded.

"It's not that I don't understand. When he plays tennis, he shines. The only other person I've seen like that is my brother." An leaned back, staring up at the leaves as she spoke. "But please, Sakuno. Think about Ryouma. Not Ryouma the tennis player, Ryouma the boy."

"You're right."

"Am I? I barely know him" An giggled.

Sakuno sighed. "He's so distant. All he cares about is tennis. Most of the time it's like I'm not even there."

"I think that's where he is. I get that way sometimes. My brother gets that way a lot." An shifted herself closer to Sakuno, and put an arm around her shoulders. "Someday he'll look up from the tennis court and realize there's more to life. And then he'll realize that Sakuno Ryuzaki has been there to support him the whole time."

Sakuno leaned back against the trunk of the tree, reaching up to shift her long braids out of the way. Her hand gently brushed An's arm around her shoulders. An was warm, and close.

"Maybe."

"Or maybe he won't. You're too good to sit around and wait for someone who might not ever notice how good you are, Sakuno." An held out her free hand, gesturing at the sky. "You shine too, Sakuno. Like your grandmother. Like Ryouma. Like my brother. People will notice. I noticed."

Sakuno suddenly noticed that her heart was racing again. On this warm late-spring day, she could feel the heat of An's body, close to hers. It didn't feel like this when she was with Ryouma (of course it didn't, she told herself). "Are you-?" She suddenly found herself at a loss for words.

An leaned in and kissed her gently. For a moment, they stayed like that. Then she pulled back. "I don't need a response right now. I know this is new for you."

Sakuno was glad that she didn't have to say anything, in that moment.

"I didn't want to spend any longer hiding my feelings."

"I don't want you to hide from me." Sakuno was sure she must be bright red. An was like this? Was she like this? In complete honesty, Sakuno had never really considered the possibility.

An leaned her head against Sakuno's shoulder. "If you ever get tired of waiting, there are other options."


End file.
